Scottish Comedy Highlights: March 2024

Glasgow International Comedy Festival (13-31 March) is here with an influx of comics working up brand-new sets and bringing tour shows to the west coast.

Before the festival properly kicks off, make sure you book in for Phil Ellis’s Excellent Comedy Show (2 Mar, Monkey Barrel, 8pm; 9 Mar, Glasgow Stand, 4pm) – an all-out chaotic riot from a man dressed as a cat, and perfect for anyone who missed out on Sam Campbell tickets this month (double-check for returns from Monkey Barrel or Glasgow’s The Garage). Marjolein Robertson brings her touring show Marj to The Stand in Edinburgh on 6 March, while Jessica Fostekew’s new tour show Mettle also comes to town (5 Mar, Monkey Barrel, 8pm; 6 Mar, Glasgow Stand, 8pm).

There’s plenty of Scottish talent performing at this year’s GICF: Krystal Evans brings a WIP (28 Mar, 6.30pm) and her fantastic Fringe show (22 Mar, 6pm) to Blackfriars; Mara Joy previews her first stand-up hour at Drygate (Peaks Bar, 18 Mar, 9pm); David Callaghan’s moving comedy-theatre show Everything That's Me Is Falling Apart comes to the Old Hairdresser’s (13 Mar, 7.30pm), and Liam Withnail (this month’s back-page Q&A star) brings acclaimed show Chronic Boom to the Glasgow Stand (29 Mar, 8pm).

Journeying to Scotland for the festival are US rising star Leslie Liao, who makes her Glasgow debut at Òran Mór (24 Mar, 7.30pm), Kemah Bob with a WIP of their debut hour (Old Hairdresser’s, 23 Mar, 6.30pm) and Alex Franklin, a surprise hit of Fringe 2023, who brings Girl Code, a WIP of her sophomore show to Van Winkle West End (31 Mar, 1pm).

Other BIG DEALS coming to GICF include Daddy herself, Rosie Jones (Glasgow Glee, 27 Mar, 7.30pm), a brand new WIP from Taskmaster champ Sophie Duker (Old Hairdresser’s, 24 Mar, 5.30pm) and a new show from spooky sketch conglomerate Tarot (Old Hairdresser’s, 24 Mar, 2.30pm), whose show at Fringe '23 was unbelievably (annoyingly) good for a knockabout work-in-progress.